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Paradise by White Lung

An explosion rings through the air, the sky splits open, and fire rains down upon the ground. You jump into the driver’s seat of the nearest vehicle, and slam your foot on the gas pedal, speeding down a crumbling road towards a bridge over a body of water. You swerve to avoid the jagged asphalt and streams of magma. You ascend the rising bridge that steadily splits in two, and launch into the brisk air. You slam down on the other side, and speed away . . .

Let’s talk about feminism; a buzzword, unifier, and divisive term all rolled into one. What does it mean to be a feminist in the world of music? How can artists best utilize their voices to empower women in a male-dominated industry, and promote gender equality in a realm where misogyny runs rampant? Paradise is the newest full-length from Canadian band White Lung, a group that possesses the answers to these questions.

Praise be to riffs that tear the sky asunder, the ones dripping with liquid fire, the kind that this record is chock full of. Here are ten blistering punk rock songs clocking in at under thirty minutes, crafted by the trifecta of Anne-Marie Vassiliou on drums, Kenneth William on guitar, and one of the most intensely charismatic frontwomen in Mish Barber-Way. The extreme energy never lets up, and there are catchy melodies abound.

Previous White Lung albums displayed the trio’s unmatched ability to spit poison all over an oppressive system, but Paradise is quite different. These are songs about grasping life by the balls, about taking control of an existence unhindered by suppression, about stepping into the minds of individuals (including Barber-Way herself) who live life fully and fiercely. If you’re seeking blistering, riff-heavy punk rock, this album is for you.